Round 11: Svend Geertsen vs. Pierre Malherbaud

Friedrich Rademacher

Game 1

Both players kept their hands and just dropped lands for a couple of turns until Svend broke the ice on turn two with a Wild Mongrel.

Pierre had an answer for the creature that terrorised the whole field here at this tournement: Chainer's Edict. It didn't get him the Mongrel as he had hoped for but a Rootwalla discarded in response.

Geertsen mised his land drop and was beginning to have difficulties. Expecially when his opponent Vindicated his freshly summoned Merfolk Looter. He did find a solution around this though. He attacked with his mongrel and discarded Deep Analysis to cast it from the graveyard consequently finding land to put into play. Malherbaud was aware of his opponent's difficulties and went into the offensive by casting Braids, Cabal Minion.

Luckily for Svend he had an Unsummon to use on the minion. Malherbaud had to stop the 6/6 Wurm. He summoned a Shambling Swarm to stop the Wurm, but it got once again bounced back making way for eight damage leaving the Frenchman at three life and with no real plan as how to win the game.

Svend decided to go on the safe side, or overkill-mode, and put yet another 6/6 Wurm in play. Pierre wasn't too happy about that and conceded. This was the first game of Day 2 that he lost.

Geertsen 1 – 0 Malherbaud

Game 2

After sideboarding Pierre chose to play first, trying to get out a Braids as soon as possible to do as much damage as he can to his opponent. His opening hand didn't have a Braids but it had enough to finish the game like Spiritmonger. Svend preferred to take a mulligan and drew into too many lands and did it once again.

Pierre found a Nantuko Shade right on the top of his deck and put it into play immediately. His opponent just played a Merfolk Looter and took five damage from the Shade. Another Merfolk Looter is all Geertsen can manage but it didn't serve as blocker. Instead, Svend went down to nine life. He wanted to stop the Frenchman's attack with a Roar of the Wurm but Slay cut right through his plans and Svend was left at five.

Somehow, Geertsen found another Roar, which was Vindicated and forced him to block with his Merfolk Looter. His second Merfolk suffered the same fate but was a help in putting an Arrogant Wurm into play.

Malherbaud wanted to end the game and summoned Spiritmonger. Geertsen hadn't given up yet and used a Rushing River on both of his opponent's creatures to see another day after his mongrel fell victim to the second Vindicate of this game.

Pierre drew, looked and Slayed the Arrogant Wurm still in play to win the second game.

Geertsen 1 – 1 Malherbaud

Game 3

During his first turn, Svend cast Careful Study and it revealed two Nantuko Blightcutters from his sideboard—one of which he cast on turn three.

Instead of putting an Elephant into play, Pierre decided to kill a Merfolk Looter. Svend already had threshold and two Blightcutters in play but no black permanent is in the game until Shambling Swarm leaves Pierre's hand. Svend attacked and cast another Roar of the Wurm to sacrifice it to a Chainer's Edict.

His opponent then played Call of the Herd, which could block a Blightcutter and kill it. Svend unsummoned the Elephant and attacked once again leaving his opponent at one attack's reach. Pierre found another Edict and took advantage of it as well recasting an Elephant.

Geertsen had to think for a while before he cast Wild Mongrel and Opposition. He used these two to tap his opponent's Elephant and attacked once again leaving Malherbaud at three life.

Pierre had two Spiritmongers and a Chainer's Edict in his hand and it took him a while until he summoned Spiritmonger with mana to change its colour. Svend untapped, and played another creature to tap both of the potential blockers and make way for the win.